Chapter 31

Before long, night had fallen. The last shop they entered looked small from the outside but was surprisingly spacious within.

‘A spatial expansion spell. Illegal.’

Magic that altered the interior dimensions of a structure weakened its stability and was therefore forbidden.

While scanning the shop for any other violations, Esadien’s ears caught a frail, quavering voice—  the kind that belonged only to the elderly.

“You’ve taken a liking to that one, I see.”

Startled, Esadien turned.  

He hadn’t sensed her approach at all.

The speaker was a hunched old woman, barely reaching his chest in height.  

She gave a dry chuckle and, with trembling hands, plucked a small glass vial from the shelf and held it out to him.

He hadn’t paid that vial any particular attention, but something about her tone had weight.  

Esadien took it without thinking and examined the bottle.

“What is this made of?”

It looked freshly polished—clear of dust—and held a transparent liquid that resembled water.

The old woman cackled.

“You don’t ask what it is? That there is a love potion.”

“A love potion?”

“A gift. Take it. Drink one drop every day for a hundred days, and your love will come true. But…”

Her voice dropped, turning serious.

“Never more than a single drop. Or you’ll suffer the consequences.”

Esadien let out a small sigh.  

He didn’t trust concoctions like these to begin with, and the ominous warning only added to his skepticism.

The vial’s mouth was wide—how was one supposed to extract a single drop at a time?  

It was clearly a way to excuse the potion’s inevitable failure.

“Thank you.”

Still, Esadien quietly slipped it into his coat.  

She hadn’t answered his question about the ingredients—which only confirmed his suspicion that it contained something suspicious.

“No luck here either. I think we should go back,” said Lapheche with a deflated tone as she turned and exited the shop.

But Esadien had seen it again—another pouch vanishing into her clothes just before she left.  

Doubt deepened.

As he turned to follow her out, the old woman called out to him.

“Farewell, Young Prince. Best look ahead, not behind.”

“…What?”

He’d kept his identity hidden.  

How did she know?

Shocked, Esadien whipped around— but the old woman was gone.

The next day, Esadien stormed through the Magic Quarter with his knights, sweeping through every shop he had spotted with illegal activities the day before.

Except one.

The place where he’d received the love potion—he had to turn back.

“Your Highness, there’s no building at the location you described.”

“What? I’m sure it was right here…”

He frowned and walked ahead.

But all he found was a weed-ridden clearing.  

The little shop—wedged like an afterthought between two buildings before—had vanished without a trace.

As if it had been plucked from the earth overnight.

* * *

As soon as we arrived at the Prince’s palace, I left the carriage alone, leaving Ramande behind.

But something was off. We had stopped much farther back than usual.

‘Our coachman always parks with pinpoint accuracy—what happened this time?’

“What happened?”

“Huh?”

Hearing the exact words I had been thinking startled me, and the foot I was about to plant slipped.

‘Ack! I’m gonna fall!’

I braced for impact—but instead of pain, I fell into a firm embrace, surrounded by a familiar warmth and scent.

“Minuelle.”

Ah. That scent. That warmth. That voice.

“Esadien…!”

Honestly, it was almost ridiculous how happy I felt. As if all my frustration and tears from before had never happened, my heart softened at once.

‘So this is what they mean when they say, “The one who loves more always loses.”’

I wrapped my arms tightly around his back, thinking that.

“I missed you so much.”

The moment the words left my lips, our bodies began to radiate heat.

‘He’s burning up… What is he, a heat-pack? It’s late summer, sure, but still—could he be sick?’

Worried, I looked up.

But with the palace lights at his back casting deep shadows, I couldn’t make out his expression.

“It’s already dark. Why would you come at this hour?”

“I was worried. Earlier…”

As I recounted the incident in front of the magic school, Esadien gently pushed me away, his voice sharp.

“But instead of going home, you came here? Why?”

“What do you mean why? If the roles were reversed, could you just go home?”

“…I…”

“Here’s a hint: the correct answer is ‘no.’ If something ever happens, don’t face it alone here in the palace. Come to the Grand Duke’s estate.”

“Minuelle…”

We locked eyes.

“Promise me.”

“…I will.”

He didn’t say much, but I could tell Esadien was grateful. The tension between us melted away.  

I almost didn’t want to ruin the moment.

‘Maybe I should leave it here and just go home.’

The thought flickered—but I knew I’d regret it later.

I steeled myself and spoke again.

“By the way… all the attendants at the palace seem to have been replaced.”

“The original staff have been suspended. They’re serving penance at home.”

“What? What could they have done wrong…?”

They had always been kind—and I’d never noticed any tension between them and Esadien.  

Why such a harsh measure?

He hesitated, but under my persistent gaze, he finally confessed.

“There was… poison found in something a guest had eaten.”

“Poison? Esadien—tell me you didn’t eat any of it.”

He stroked my cheek with one hand and held my trembling fingers with the other, giving me a small smile.

“I’m fine. So are the staff. Only the guest had some stomach trouble.”

‘So that’s why it was just a suspension.’  

If it had been real poison, they’d have been executed for negligence toward a royal.

But relief quickly gave way to unease.

There are only two people who could be considered guests here: myself and Theodore.  

But I hadn’t seen Esadien that day, and Theodore had already left the capital.

Which meant…

“Lady Celeste, then?”

“…Yes.”

Not even denying it.

“You’ve been spending time with her lately, haven’t you? What’s going on?”

“I can’t say.”

“Because of the Crown Princess’ orders?”

“Yes.”

…Wow. I laughed in disbelief.

“Funny. Her Highness said she hadn’t given you any orders.”

“Did you ask her directly?”

Esadien suddenly pulled his hand away like he’d been burned and stepped back, his face colder than I’d ever seen.

‘What the hell? Are you angry now? Because I didn’t believe you?’

The nerve. Getting mad when you’re the one lying?

“I overheard it while visiting with my sister. That’s all.”

I tried to close the distance again, step by step, but Esadien only backed away further.  

Every time I moved forward once, he took two steps back. After a few rounds of this, I could feel my temper starting to boil.

‘Is he playing games with me right now?’

“What is this, really? Even if there’s no affection, there should be trust! I told you I don’t like seeing you with Lady Celeste!”

The second I shouted, a soft and delicate voice chimed in, as if it had been waiting.

“Your Highness, are you not ready yet?”

Outside the carriage window, Lapheche poked her head out.

“……”

A brief silence passed.

Only then did I fully take in Esadien’s appearance.  

His clothes were far too plain for a Prince—like someone who had been walking around in secret, hiding his identity.

…Just like the day we went to the lake.

Our coach hadn’t been able to stop at the usual spot because Esadien’s carriage had already been there.

“O-oh my!”

Lapheche’s voice was filled with startled panic.

“I didn’t realize Lady Minuelle was here! My sincerest apologies!”

Of course, I didn’t need her apology.

Neither Esadien nor I even looked at her.  

Sensing the tension, Lapheche quickly ducked her head back inside the carriage, just as suddenly as she’d appeared.

It wasn’t proper etiquette, but I had no desire to point that out. I didn’t have the energy, either.

“Ugh.”

A flush of heat surged up, making my vision spin. I could almost taste iron at the tip of my nose.

‘Damn this fury…!’

“…Haah.”

A bitter sigh escaped me. I rubbed my forehead and offered a suggestion.

“I’ll have our knights escort Lady Celeste home. So Your Highness doesn’t need to go with her.”

“You’re… giving me orders now?”

Esadien’s voice dropped lower. The more I burned, the colder he became—it felt like we were on opposite ends of a scale.

“Telling my fiancé not to be seen with another woman… is that really what you consider an order?”

As I spat the words, my head throbbed like a drum. I could feel the urge to throw something rise, slowly but surely.

At the same time, another emotion flickered—resignation.

“What I see lately is only your anger.”

A useless statement.

‘You never gave me a reason to smile.’

You kept pushing me away. You kept hiding.

I couldn’t help the sharp look in my eyes.

“And what I see is you hiding things from me.”

The Esadien who had once looked embarrassed, anxious in front of me—he felt so far away now, as if he’d vanished to some distant land.

“And have you kept nothing from me?”

That question.

That loaded, probing question felt like throwing gasoline on a burning fire.  

It ignited my chest all over again—my fingers, my eyes, everything burned with heat like a dry winter forest catching flame.

My voice rose without control.

“What could I possibly be hiding? I’ve shown you everything! From the very beginning!”

I said I liked you.

I said I loved you—I asked you to come to me.

I gave you everything, so why did it come to this?

Was he doubting me now?

As the thought took hold, my palm—hidden beneath the thin glove—suddenly throbbed, burning hot.  

The fist I had clenched slowly unfurled, and Esadien’s blue gaze followed it down.

“…Those are the gloves I gave you.”

“…Yes.”

Even the way I’d stubbornly worn them, not wanting to take them off just because they were from him—it all felt pathetic now.

“Will you take them off for me?”